That looks like a good start!
I wouldn’t recommend swapping pads right away unless there is a comfort concern out-of-the-box that most reviewers or an audition revealed. Changing the sound by pad rolling is something that is recommended to do overtime at your leisure.
Aright!
So i finally got all the parts come in the mail. The box with the 58X was so light i thought it was empty!
Brought it all home, connect everything, only to discover that i dont have RCA cables to connect the D10 to the Atom amp. I had so many before, but now that i need them i can’t find a single one!
Quick trip to Walmart fixed that.
First impressions on the 58X:
Edit: also the ear cushions could be more comfortable as well as the head band padding. Has anyone modded the 58X with aftermarket pads and head rest? any suggestions on what i should get to increase comfort and bass?
Also i was wondering about the Sound settings… I’m guessing that while listening to music i should set it at the highest setting possible (32bit @ i dont know how many Mhz) and then when i’m gaming or watching a movie i should enable the Windows Sonic 7.1 surround sound (which is only 24 bit)?
I would not suggest using Windows 7.1 if you care about quality. Something like EqApo if you want a systemwide eq. Regarding clamp, here is a link to a PDF by DIY-Audio-Heaven that shows how to reduce the clamping force easily.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/8dr7hp34vq11aag/HD58X_evaluation.pdf/file
I found that the headband and earpads get more comfortable with less clamp. You could look into something like a zmf pilot pad for the top if you require headband comfort changes. I personally wouldn’t recommend changing the pads if you want to preserve the Sennheiser sound, but dekoni makes a nice hybrid pad
Regarding windows sound, I would suggest keeping it below 24/192 unless you have higher quality files. Personally I find that 32 bit can cause issues with some legacy applications, and the higher the sample rate (khz), the more processing power it takes, and tends to compensate by having higher latency. While this isn’t a huge issue, it’s something to take note of.
The clamp definitely eases a nice amount . Took about a 2 weeks for them to really get comfy for me but I was not using it exclusively I have other headphones I was using when I first got them
You can refer to this post I made in the 58x thread about modding them. Might be worth looking into if you want more bass and more comfort.
Buy a T50RP from zmf and get a choice of pads. Get a as new T60RP on ebay for $240. Send T50 to modhouse for an Argon conversion. Use ZMF pads on T60 while you wait for Argon.
I agree with @Towa. I personally used toilet paper instead of k240 foam/felt but the end result is similar. The dekoni pads boost the bass but make it too boomy. The k240 foam brings the bass down but will still keep some boost (no more boomy-ness) the toilet paper will make it sound like stock with dekoni elite velour pads.
I think someone mentioned this but I thought I would link it. All the HD58X modding info you could ever need.
So it’s now been roughly 5 months since i started using the 58X.
Now for my next set i’m wondering if i should go with Argons, or chance it and buy the Skullcandy Crushers? i read so many bad quality reviews on the Crushers that i’m scared to buy it.
Have a look at the Drop Beyerdynamic DT 177x Go after you are done
Hi Guys! i didn’t want to start a new thread for this, so i thought i will put my question here as it’s related to my newly bought 58X…
I’m not liking the stock pads so much. I would like to swap the pads to something more comfortable, and something that will give me more bass. Any suggestions on Brand, and material?
generally speaking the Sennheisers don’t usually take to pad swapping well. Most say they ruin the sound. I know dekoni makes pads for them, you could maybe try them from amazon or somewhere witha return policy. Also worth noting a lot of the sennheisers need some break in time due to their hard clamp. Many people find them uncomfortable initially but after some wear in do not have an issue.
You can bend the headband to reduce the clamp, and also just by wearing them the pads will get softer and more comfortable, but it takes time
I have had this set for about 8 months now. The clamp force has loosened up already. the issue is more with the lack of softness, not the clamp force. I mean it’s not “Bad” but it’s not “The Best” either. I want to have some pads on it that will just feel amazing. Similar like Z was climaxing over the sheepskin pads in his review. LoL
I’ve swapped pads on my 58x to both sheepskin and hybrids from Drop. The sheepskins definitely increase bass, but not in a good way. It ends up making the already very narrow soundstage feel more congested, and really only works with very simple music (something like a cello soloist). The hybrids are closer to the stock sound, but still have a lesser degree of the same changes. To me, the tradeoff of comfort for the hybrids is worth it for the smaller impact to sound signature.
FWIW, reading through the earlier part of this thread, my current desk setup for while i’m working is laptop>GSX1000>Game One for conference calls, and GSX1000 stereo line out to Topping MX3 to power passive speakers as well as any other headphones I decide to rotate in (including 58x and Argons). I also use the other inputs of the MX3 for bluetooth and a turntable. This setup allows for quick switches with the presets on the GSX1000 when it’s time to jump on a conference call or pass the audio to the MX3 when I’m streaming Tidal. Full disclosure, with some of the higher tier headphones I’ve acquired, i’m looking to upgrade the setup by either replacing or inserting higher quality components in the chain, but it has served me well thus far.
So i was looking around different brands and materials for pad swapping, and i am considering the Brainwavz Memory Foam Sheepskin Angled.
I just wonder, what’s the difference between the flat oval sheepskins, or the angled ones?
Also, I noticed that these pads have a skirt on the back so you can pull it over other headphones. So i decided to pull my pads of the 58X out and see how that looks like and this is what i see…
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This plastic you see on the back of the stock pads is what secures the pad to the headphone by clicking in, in the cent portion of the headphones.
So i’m not sure how would i install the new pads to the 58X without this plastic part?
I did consider cutting the stock pads off this plastic and then wrapping the skirt of the new pads on the plastic and then click them in, but at the same time, i dont want to damage the stock pads in case i want to put them back on later.
Here is a picture of the sheepskins from the back
Thoughts?
Thanks to YouTube, i figured out that you can remove the plastic ring off the stock without ripping anything. The challenge will be installing the plastic ring on the new pads before you can put them back in.
So back to the question regarding the sheepskins. Flat or Angled? which is better?
I haven’t tried anything angled, so the extra distance between the driver and your ear could change things a bit. Sheepskin in general, though, is going to bring up the bass a bit, and to my ears makes the 58x sound more congested/muddled in the lower mids. You might do better with a hybrid sound wise, and should still be able to find angled hybrids if you wanted to test it.
Drop regularly sells replacement pads for the 6XX and 58X. I have the fenestrated sheepskin pads on the 6XX and they are heaven.
I’d considered some of those. How do you perceive the sonic change they make on the 6XX? I have both the hybrid and sheepskin from Drop, and considered the fenestrated. So far the hybrids are closest to stock sound.
This is an area I can’t be too helpful on. Maybe my ears aren’t tuned enough to notice but I couldn’t hear any difference and the fenestrated sheepskin pads are so comfortable I wouldn’t have cared anyway - I can wear them for hours with no issues.
I think some people are more sensitive to those audio changes from pad rolling but it made no difference to me.